Morning Brief: Getting critical

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Good morning to you.

Did you know that some 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home? That includes a number of communities right here in Canada. Today is the 25th annual World Water Day, which is aimed at advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources, which will improve the lives of, well, everybody. What are you going to do to conserve water this #WorldWaterDay?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says when it comes to elections, the heavy use of social media and interference by foreign actors are the new reality. For that reason, Canada needs to be vigilant about protecting the integrity of its electoral systems from foreign interference. And yes, he’s looking at you, Russia.

When asked about the influence of President Vladimir Putin at a Toronto press conference yesterday, Trudeau offered up some of his sharpest criticism yet. As the Canadian Press’ Mike Blanchfield reports, he said Putin needs to start playing a more positive role in the world on a variety of fronts – from Ukraine, to Syria as well as answering for Russia’s role in the nerve gas attack in Britain two weeks ago. That assessment follows his response to Putin’s re-election earlier this week, which he sarcastically noted was a nail-biter.

Meanwhile, Chris Wylietells CBC News that he wants to testify in the U.S. and the U.K. about social media’s threat to elections and democratic institutions. The Canadian data scientist revealed how Cambridge Analytica gathered data about Facebook users and told The National co-anchor Adrienne Arsenault it’s in the public interest that these issues are discussed. “I think that, unfortunately, our legislators and our regulators are playing catch-up to things that have been well-known in the tech sector for ages,” he said.

We hope MPs got a good night sleep last night, as there’s a good chance some of them won’t be getting much shut eye tonight. The Conservatives are preparing to force Parliament to pull an all-nighter to pressure Trudeau to call his national security adviser to testify at a public committee about the PM’s recent trip to India. As our Kady O’Malley reports, the Tories will present a motion for debate and a vote in the House calling for the prime minister to instruct Daniel Jean to appear at the public safety and national security committee before the end of the month.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The federal government is not planning to withdraw from three international treaties that Canada will be violating when it legalises recreational marijuana this summer, according to a top foreign affairs official. Mark Gwozdecky, the assistant deputy minister of international security and political affairs at Global Affairs Canada, told a Senate committee late last night that Canada will not withdraw from, seek reservations to or take “any treaty actions” regarding three UN drug conventions. He also said Canada would be in full compliance with the “overarching goal” of the conventions because it protects the health and safety of Canadian citizens and told senators it would be harmful to withdraw. “Withdrawal would be an excessive, unnecessary, and detrimental step,” Gwozdecky said. Kyle Duggan was there and has the story.

From pot to peacekeeping: Conservative MPs are reiterating their call to have a parliamentary debate on the Liberal government’s decision to support the UN mission in war-torn Mali. Tory defence critic James Bezan is leading that charge, insisting that all Parliamentarians need to have an opportunity to debate this mission and vote on it. The mission will see Canada send helicopters to the West African country, along with up to 250 Canadian Armed Forces members. Janice Dickson has the details.

We can only assume retired life didn’t agree with Beverley McLachlin. Or perhaps she only needed a few months to rest up after 28 years on the Supreme Court. Or maybe she just missed the fancy robes? Regardless, the former Supreme Court chief justice, who retired in December, is embarking on a new adventure — in Hong Kong, where she’s been appointed to sit as a non-permanent common-law judge on the Court of Final Appeal. The CBC has that story.

The Liberal party says Conservatives are “taking orders from Canada’s NRA” in a fundraising email blitz that says the government’s new gun bill contains measures to crack down on illegal handguns and assault weapons. The email listed several measures in the bill, including more rigorous background checks for handgun and semi-automatic rifle licences. But the message also contained an aggressive attack on the Conservatives, claiming Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and his party “want to steadily weaken gun laws in Canada.” Tim Naumetz wades into the fray.

Ontario PC party MPP Lisa MacLeod arrives at Queen’s Park on Friday, January 26, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

In Ontario, the Tories are demanding that the budget the Liberals table next week be a balanced one. They’re also planning to make it a “pillar” in their election platform. In an open letter to provincial Finance Minister Charles Sousa, finance critic and MPPLisa MacLeod called for “a real plan to get back to budget balance immediately” and for the government to cut hydro rates, invest in long-term care and mental health, “scrap” cap-and-trade and cut taxes. Her letter didn’t touch on the fact that her party hasn’t yet committed to balancing the provincial books either. Marieke Walsh has more from Queen’s Park.

HERE AND THERE

Statistics Canada releases the employment insurance figures for January, Canada’s population estimates for the fourth quarter and the travel between Canada and other countries for January;

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in New Brunswick today, where he’s set to meet with Premier Brian Gallant this morning. The PM will also take part in a roundtable discussion on rural economic growth and pop in at the Work Room Career Resource Centre at Sussex Regional High School to highlight budget 2018’s Canada Workers Benefit;

The Parliamentary Budget Officer posts a new report entitled “Update on Costs of Incarceration”;

Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne are in Thunder Bay to make an announcement. They will be joined by Ontario Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault and Wataynikaneyap Power LP CEO Margaret Kenequanash.

CARTOON OF THE DAY

AROUND THE WORLD

Mark Zuckerberg is “really sorry that this happened.”This being a scandal involving data mining firm Cambridge Analytica. In an interview with CNN last night, he said Facebook has a “responsibility” to protect its users’ data. If it fails, the social network’s CEO said, “we don’t deserve to have the opportunity serve people.” In a Facebook post yesterday, he wrote that the company made “mistakes” and outlined how it has changed its policies to make sure that user data is protected. “I wish we’d taken those steps earlier,” Zuckerberg told CNN. “That … is probably the biggest mistake that we made here.” He also said he’d be happy to testify before Congress.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions smiles as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about his role in the firing of James Comey, his Russian contacts during the campaign and his decision to recuse from an investigation into possible ties between Moscow and associates of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

You knew it wouldn’t be long before this plot thickened: It turns out that, nearly a year before Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions fired FBI deputy director AndrewMcCabe for what Sessions called a “lack of candor,” McCabe oversaw a federal criminal investigation into whether Sessions lacked candor when testifying before Congress about contacts with Russian operatives. ABC News broke this one.

While Ottawa’s Le Moulin de Provence has its Obama shortbread cookies as a claim to fame, one restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam has taken things a wee bit further and tried to seal its presidential moment in glass. Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant, since dubbed “bun cha Obama,” shot to stardom in 2016 when the then-U.S. leader took a break from official duties to enjoy a $3 bowl of pork noodles with fried spring rolls with globetrotting chef Anthony Bourdain.